Her daughter was in essence a hostage, and I think we can understand the crime that occurred subsequently in terms of a hostage trying to gain escape.' 'The control was total in the same sense that the control of a kidnapped victim is sometimes total. 'Gypsy Rose Blanchard was as consistently and viciously subjected to, in my opinion, Munchausen by Proxy as anyone I've come across,' said Feldman in the documentary. It is believed to be a form of abuse by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. People who have the disorder don't do it to receive financial gain, but will have the child or patient undergo 'painful or risky tests and operations' in order to gain sympathy and special attention. The Cleveland Clinic describes the condition as 'a mental illness in which a person acts as if an individual he or she is caring for has a physical or mental illness when the person is not really sick'.ĭee Dee had successfully convinced almost everyone the pair came in contact with that her daughter had a number of serious medical issues, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy and chromosomal defects, among other things – none of which Gypsy had.ĭee Dee also forced her to eat through a feeding tube and use a wheelchair, neither of which she needed. The physical likeness of actor Joey King to Gypsy Rose, from her mannerisms to her smile to the pitch of her voice, is almost indistinguishable, such is the strength of King's capabilities as a performer. Numerous elements of The Act are carbon copies of the photographs, recordings, real-life press footage and police tapes used in the documentary.

One of the most striking aspects of The Act is the detail that has gone in to painting an incredibly rich portrait of Gypsy and Dee Dee's life together, as evidenced by Mommy Dead and Dearest, a documentary that appeared on HBO back in 2017.ĭirected by Erin Lee Carr, Mommy Dead and Dearest also provides an in-depth analysis of Dee Dee's murder, speaking to Gypsy Rose herself, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for second-degree murder, family members including her father Rod, former neighbour Aleah Woodmansee (the inspiration for the character Lacey in The Act), as well as law enforcement personnel, medical professionals, Gypsy's lawyer, a community service worker and journalists.

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